26 August 2024

A substandard roller door installation has caught up with an Auckland business, in what WorkSafe says is a tragic consequence of poor workmanship.

It involves a powered roller grille door which fell from its fixings and killed pastor Helen Verry at Church Unlimited in Glendene in January 2022. The 44-year-old had been trying to close the door by pulling the hand chain, as the motor was not working at the time.

A WorkSafe investigation found the 273-kilogram roller was fixed through a piece of plywood and gib board with coach screws that were too short to properly hold up the weight.

The installer, Scotty Doors Limited, failed to ensure that the appropriate type of fastener was used to secure the roller grille door. More consideration should have been given to the type and length of screw being used, given the presence of the plywood. The length of the screws at one end of the roller door failed to comply with the Building Code, due to the thinness of the plywood.

“Installation is core business for Scotty Doors, and it should have identified that the roller grille door was not installed safely or in compliance with the Building Code,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Steve Kelly.

A registration form signed on behalf of Scotty Doors noted that the roller had been installed in the church lounge and that checks had been completed, including that the door was attached to a solid fixing.

“This case is a stark example of how serious the consequences of poor workmanship can be. If you contribute to unsafe work you will be held to account. Businesses have a responsibility to consider the health and safety of the people who will ultimately be reliant on their product when installing, building, or commissioning structures for use at work,” says Steve Kelly.

The company was prosecuted under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, the legislation in place at the time of the March 2009 installation. A similar failure occurring today would be subject to much tougher penalties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Read how the Building Code applies to commercial and industrial roller doors(external link)

Background:

• Scotty Doors Limited was sentenced at Waitakere District Court on 19 August 2024.
• A fine of $41,250 was imposed, and reparations of $162,000 ordered
• Scotty Doors was charged under sections Sections 18A(3) and 50(1)(a) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
  • Being a person who supplied plant, namely a powered roller grille door, to another person to be used in a place of work, who agreed to install the plant, having a duty to take all practicable steps to install the plant so that it was safe for its intended use for workers, including Helen Verry, did fail to comply with that duty.
• The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $250,000.